Customer Reviews

Dominion & Common Grace: The Biblical Basis of Progress

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This is probably the author's best--certainly his most original--work. His thesis is that God's common grace to the wicked increases over time, though this in no way implies His favor to them. Rather, it assures an increasingly godly society as the wicked are forced to obey God's law if they are to succeed in their earthly lives.

The great value of this book is that it is the first to suggest a theoretical mechanism for postmillennialism.

I agree with Andrew Sandlin: the great value of this book is that it is the first to suggest a theoretical mechanism for postmillennialism. Without this sort of understanding of common grace, it is difficult to see how the Christianization of the world could progress in the way postmils believe, and North alone has produced it. Kudos to him!

The wheat of special grace and the tares of special wrath are on opposite courses through history. Both are maturing in their respective conditions. The great irony is that the tares can only survive and flourish when they try to look like wheat and feed on the spill-over of God's common grace rain and fertilizer.

This is North's best work. He must think so too given all of the places it has shown up: several appendicies, this book, taped lectures, and essays.

One word of warning, don't buy into the grief North gives Cornelius Van Til. CVT is well worth reading - even if he is difficult.

I've been a Christian for ten years and I was nauseous at the (what I now know to be) antinomian pessimistic pietism in the church. I've been Reformed and postmillennial for five, praise the Lord - skipped right over amillennialism. There is no way I could ever believe that Christians lose in history - it's unfathomable. I believe in the applicability of God's law for every area of life. I believe in pushing the antithesis. What I struggled with (until now) was the doctrine of common grace. I knew God provided rain for both the elect and the non-elect. But while I never wondered about the "final rebellion" in history (Rev. 20), I did wonder how to resolve the apparent dilemma of what a believer is to do regarding maintaining the antithesis with the world and yet recognizing that there were positive contributions they made to culture, e.g., wealth, logic, etc., even though they never gave glory to God. I wrestled with "are we to give unbelievers our pearls?" (e.g., parenting wisdom, homeschooling, leadership models, economic laws) and thereby make them better enemies of God? Or do we let them remain consistent with their professed presuppositions and reap the wrath of God. This was my dilemma. Now, with this book by Dr. North, not only were those questions answered, but far more! I now have a working theology of the common curse and special curse, common grace and special grace, consistency with presuppositions and inconsistency, external blessings to external obedience to the law (common grace), and external curses (judgment) to autonomy and arrogance. I understand the progressive sanctification of culture in history, the highs and lows of culture led by the church (special grace) and followed by the world (common grace). I understand much more. I am so impressed with this book. It also distinguishes between theonomic postmillennialism (which the author and I embrace) and pietistic postmillennialism (e.g., Jonathan Edwards). I wish this book were more prevalent in the Reformed community. I've been postmill and Reformed for five years and just "happened" to pick up my already purchased copy of this book because of the title which included the words "common grace." In God's perfect timing, He knew what I need to read to answer the questions to my dilemmas. It's a fabulous book and I highly recommend it for all Christians to read. It filled in my gaps. When Christians share the Law of God with unbelievers (and it better have the Gospel attached to it), even if all the unbelievers do is adopt our worldview apart from our Lord (e.g., are inconsistent), everyone still benefits from a culture that is more consistent with the Law of God. Should they never convert, well then the heaping of the coals on their heads is in God's hands. I want Christian culture for me, my children and grandchildren. It begins with evangelism, and consistent Christianity (special grace and consistent epistemological self-consciousness). Common grace then, like crumbs from the table, spreads to the unbelievers. I knew they always borrowed from our worldview (pushing the antithesis), but now I know how that works and why it's important they continue to do so, but that Christians should never borrow from the unbelievers (which leads to syncretism, apostasy, and judgment). All this is to say I can't thank Dr. North enough for this tremendous work. Get this book and read it. I've added to my homeschool high school curriculum so my children have a proper and biblical philosophy of history not just victory in history, but also how that victory works.